by Rich Hofmann and Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports

by Rich Hofmann and Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA -- After missing three practices, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper returned to the team Tuesday for a joint practice with the New England Patriots.

Cooper has been embroiled in controversy since last Wednesday, when a video surfaced of him uttering a racial epithet at a June concert. During a four-day excused absence from the team, the embattled wide receiver said he spent time with family at their home in Florida.

"I got to see my family, which was extremely important for me, just for them to let me know and see me face-to-face and to let them know that everything will hopefully be all right," Cooper said after Tuesday's practice.

But Cooper acknowledged, "I'm going to live with this for the rest of my life."

Meanwhile, the damage control has started, perhaps most importantly, inside the Eagles' locker room. First-year Eagles head coach Chip Kelly continually has stressed the importance of open communication in wake of the incident.

Throughout the past week, Cooper has dealt with the situation by seeking out all of his teammates and talking about the incident with them.

"I told them, 'I don't want you to forgive me because that puts the burden on you,'" Cooper said. "I want it all on me. I told them that and I told them I apologize."

While Cooper didn't discuss many of the specifics involved with the reported counseling he underwent, he did talk a little about its subject matter.

"I realize how many people I've hurt, how many families I've hurt, how many kids I've hurt," Cooper said. "That's what we talked about, the severity of it, and I completely realize that and I take full responsibility for it."

The video's release came at an inopportune time in Cooper's career. After starting receiver Jeremy Maclin suffered a season-ending ACL injury early in training camp, Cooper is considered to be one of the players who will be counted on to replace Maclin's production.

There was some speculation whether the Eagles, due to the touchy nature of the subject, would cut ties with their 2010 fifth-round pick completely. The incident is considered to be the type of thing that could divide a locker room.

Despite the off-field controversy, Kelly said the team plans to move forward and give the 6-foot-3 receiver the chance to become a major part of the offense.

When asked if the team might have to cut ties with Cooper if the locker room doesn't heal, Kelly said, "I don't see that happening after talking to our players. I think our players understand the situation and are working with him to make sure they get a better understanding about the whole situation."

"I know out of this situation, Riley surely felt like an outcast," Ryans said. "As a team, we have to bring him back in as our teammate, as our brother, and resolve this issue and move forward. We can't have any ill feelings lingering throughout the season."

Though Kelly has repeatedly said that Cooper's roster spot is safe, some NFL executives told USA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero that Cooper would become a free-agent commodity if released.

While undrafted rookie Russell Shepard received a decent amount of first-team reps across from DeSean Jackson, Cooper was a part of the receiver rotation throughout practice. On the field, he had a productive day against the Patriots secondary,

During 11-on-11 drills, Cooper caught three long passes, two for touchdowns, from both Michael Vick and Nick Foles. After the big plays, teammates Vick, Avant, Russell Shepard excitedly congratulated Cooper. But mostly when Cooper wasn't involved, he stood quietly by himself.

"It felt good to be out there with the guys, catching and running, making some plays and them coming up to you, supporting you, high-fiving you, chest-bumping you like Jason Avant did in the end zone when I had that TD," Cooper said.

Cooper also talked about the burden he will have to carry for the rest of his life, calling the fallout from the incident "the most emotional thing I've ever been through." For now, the plan is for him to deal with his issues as an Eagle.

"I'm going to try each and every day to just play as hard as I can and play my game," Cooper said. "I want to stay here."

Although Cooper looked good in practice, Kelly said that wasn't the focus.

"My concern wasn't how he practiced, it's just him with the team itself and (him) getting the chance to make sure he got to talk to every single guy so that they understand how we felt, what he did, and understand that he's truly sorry for what he did," Kelly said. "We'll look at the film and correct all those other things, but that wasn't my concern.

"It is an ongoing process, it's not something that we can just say, 'Hey, it's over with.' It's something we'll continue to monitor. The biggest thing with us and we talked about since Day One is open communication. If you do have some issues or something that needs to be said, let's make sure that we can get that addressed."

The Eagles tweeted the news of Cooper's return Tuesday morning.

Then later, the club indicated it still considered the infraction serious.

"I want to make this clear; the words Riley Cooper used were totally unacceptable," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement issued after practice. "His words may have been directed at one person, but they hurt everyone. Riley has apologized to the team and community and has made a personal commitment to work hard to try and gain their trust and earn his position on the team."

Former college teammate Tim Tebow, trying to land a roster spot with the Patriots, said he hadn't yet talked to Cooper, but "was definitely praying for him."

The video that offended so many surfaced last Wednesday. It showed Cooper, intoxicated while attending country star Kenny Chesney's concert at Lincoln Financial Field, directing a slur toward an African-American security guard.

Cooper apologized profusely the day the video surfaced while also receiving an undisclosed fine from the team. He practiced Thursday - though he frequently appeared isolated between reps - reiterated his remorse and said many teammates had shown support while admitting others would be harder to win back.

Some tammates, including quarterback Michael Vick, forgave Cooper quickly. Tailback LeSean McCoy and cornerback Cary Williams were among those who expressed reservations.